Intercountry Adoption

Transcription

1 Intercountry Adoption For families throughout the United States Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago 651 W. Lake Street Chicago, IL Phone: Fax: Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago is recognized as a 501 (c) 3 Non-Profit Agency, is fully accredited and is Licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services - License # Catholic Charities is recognized by the Department of State, and accredited by the Council on Accreditation, to provide adoption services for Hague Adoption cases.

2 Welcome to Catholic Charities International Adoption Program! We have been providing International Adoption services since the 1950s, when we first began placing children from Italy, Germany, Ireland and Canada. Our International Adoption Program is a great choice for many families. We believe very strongly in the importance of providing extensive training and education to help prepare you for the process, joys and challenges of adopting internationally. We are currently seeking prospective adoptive families for school age children and sibling groups from orphanages and group homes throughout Poland, who are waiting for stable, loving families. While the process has slowed, and overall numbers have declined somewhat over the past few years, thousands of families are still pursuing International Adoptions. Come join us for a journey to another part of the world! Immigrant Visas Issued to Orphans Coming to the United States Top Twenty Countries of Origin FY 2013 FY 2012 FY CHINA 2,306 CHINA 2,697 CHINA 2,589 2 ETHIOPIA 993 ETHIOPIA 1,568 ETHIOPIA 1,727 3 UKRAINE 438 RUSSIA 748 RUSSIA HAITI 388 REPUBLIC OF KOREA 627 SOUTH KOREA CONGO, DEM. REP. 313 UKRAINE 395 UKRAINE UGANDA 276 CONGO 240 PHILIPPINES RUSSIA 250 UGANDA 238 INDIA NIGERIA 183 NIGERIA 197 COLOMBIA PHILIPPINES 178 COLOMBIA 195 UGANDA GHANA 170 TAIWAN 177 TAIWAN BULGARIA 159 GHANA 171 NIGERIA COLOMBIA 159 PHILLIPINES 125 CONGO-KINSHASA REPUBLIC OF KOREA 138 BULGARIA 125 GHANA INDIA 119 INDIA 159 JAMAICA TAIWAN 94 HAITI 154 KAZAKHSTAN LATVIA 89 LATVIA 82 BULGARIA JAMAICA 79 THAILAND 57 NEPAL GUYANA 50 MOROCCO 57 RWANDA POLAND 49 JAMAICA 43 LATVIA PAKISTAN 47 GUYANA 36 POLAND 52 6,478 8,091 8,613 World Totals for Year: World Totals for Year: World Totals for Year: 7,094 8,668 9,320 Source: United States Department of State

3 Intercountry Adoption Process: 1. Contact Adoption Intake Specialist at (312) to complete a preliminary inquiry form. 2. Locate a licensed, accredited adoption agency to provide your home study and post adoption supervision and support. 3. Complete and return the application packet along with the $275 application fee. 4. Receive notification of your assigned adoption specialist. An adoption specialist will be assigned to work with your family and will contact you, and will forward agreements to your local agency for their signature. 5. Meetings with your local Adoption agency to complete Home Study for Convention Adoption for a series of interviews as part of the home study. The home study is comprised of fingerprinting, a criminal background check, child abuse and neglect clearances from each state or country you have lived in since the age of 18, medical history, references, the abovementioned interviews and a home visit. The home study report itself is the legal document required by USCIS, and by Foreign Officials. There are very specific guidelines that must be followed. Your local agency will also need to agree to provide you with at least 10 hours of adoption education and preparation, meeting Hague Convention and IAA requirements. Once Catholic Charities has reviewed and approved your Adoption Home Study, you will file an I 800A form with USCIS. The I 800A cannot be filed until the home study has been completed, and has also been approved by our office. 6. Compile your dossier documents and have them authenticated by the proper state agencies. Your adoption specialist will provide you with the necessary information to complete this step. Once completed, your dossier will be sent be sent to the authorities in the country you have chosen to adopt from. 7. Await Referral. Waiting times vary and will depend upon your specific situation and child request. 8. Receive and accept a referral. When a possible match is identified, your adoption specialist will receive a child referral to share with you. The referral will include basic information about the child or children and medical information; it may include photos. Our adoptive families are encouraged to have the child s medical history reviewed by medical professionals who specialize in Intercountry adoption. You will have the opportunity to ask for additional or clarifying information during this process. 9. Upon accepting a referral you will forward the I-800 form with child referral information and your approval to proceed to our office, for submission to USCIS, along with documents that we must provide. 10. Travel to complete adoption. The number and length of trips vary from country to country. During this time, you will visit with your child, attend the required court dates, and obtain your child s entry visa. 11. Welcome home! Once you have returned home with your new family member, Catholic Charities will continue to provide support and post placement services. There are ongoing reporting requirements as well, including both agency written reports and family self-reports. Further information will be provided.

4 Adoption Program with Poland In 1998, Catholic Charities began to investigate the possibility of serving as a child placing agency for Poland. A formal agreement to do this was signed with Poland in January, 1999 and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago currently has formal agreements with all three entities (Regional Adoption Centers, Catholic Adoption Center and Friends Society) within Poland that place children in the U.S.. We also have a staff person in Poland who serves as our liaison and works with the entities in Poland to secure child referrals for our families, as well as working with the families once they travel and are in-country. The following is an overview of our Poland program: Who may adopt? Adoptive parents can be no more than 40 years older than the child they are adopting. Married couples must be married at least 1-3 years (determined by Poland on a case by case basis.) Single women may adopt. At least one parent must be a U.S. citizen Must be in good health. Must have explored their medical situation regarding infertility, if applicable, and are not involved in infertility treatment. Must have a willingness to recognize and support the importance of a child s heritage and family of origin. Must be financially stable, with the ability to make 2 trips to Poland and stay for a period of up to 8 weeks in total. We welcome prospective adoptive parents of all religious, racial and ethnic backgrounds. We also provide placement services to out-of-state families. Who are the children available for adoption? In Poland, children become available for international adoption following the death of their parents, or extreme economic hardship or other crises that may cause parents to abandon their children or prevent them from properly caring for them. Their parental rights have been legally terminated, and the children are cared for in relatively small group homes, foster homes or orphanages. The children are typically between the ages of 5-15 yrs., and sibling groups are available. Referral and Travel Once your dossier has been approved and a possible match has been made, a referral packet will be forwarded for you to review. The referral will include detailed information on the medical, developmental and social history of the child(ren). A video or photos may also be available. Following your expressed acceptance of the referral, you will travel to Poland to meet the child(ren) and begin the legal processing of your adoption. This trip will be five to ten business days long. Both parents are required to travel to Poland prior to, and remain for both assigned court dates. It is possible for one of you to return to the U.S. after the second court date if necessary. Families should be prepared to stay in Poland six to eight weeks during their second trip. While in Poland, adoptive families will receive the support and assistance of a Catholic Charities staff member in arranging for housing and completing all steps in the adoption process. During this time, you will await the final adoption decree and obtain your child s Polish Passport before having a Visa Interview Appointment at the U.S. Embassy, which issues visas for all adopted children. (More specific information on Visa requirements will be provided to you during your adoptive home study and preparation process.)

5 Intercountry Adoption Fees The program fees for an international adoption include: Poland $275 Application Fee $1500 Adoption Processing Fee - Phase I $ Home Study fee paid to your local agency $3000 Documents/Translation (Adoption Process Phase II) $9000 Foreign Program Fee $1000 Post Placement Fees $16,025+ Total + For each additional sibling placed, there will be an additional $1500 fee in order to increase the humanitarian aid to the orphanage and cover additional translation expenses. Please note that the fees referenced above do not include: travel, lodging, meals, attorney fees, and the child/children s visa/s and medical exam/s. your adoption specialist can provide you with a fee worksheet upon request. Placement Fee adjustment Effective July 1st, Fees are subject to change, and may change due to varying circumstances. For a complete list of components under each fee category, please call (312)

6 Adoption Financial Resources Personal Savings, Bank Loans and Fundraising Many families use personal savings, take out bank loans, or receive financial help from family and friends. Some banks and credit unions offer adoption loan programs or home equity loans for adoptions. Families have held fundraisers or have set up an adoption bank account, where friends or family can make taxdeductible donations towards the adoption. Adoption Tax Credits Use IRS Form 8839 to figure the amount of your adoption credit and any employer-provided adoption benefits you can exclude from your income for the adoption of an eligible child, which includes provisions for families adopting children either in the U.S. or internationally. For 2013 the maximum credit and exclusion are both $12,970, per eligible child. The amount begins to phase out if you have modified adjusted gross income in excess of $194,580 and is completely phased out for modified AGI of $234,580 or more. Please see your tax consultant for more information. Employer Assistance / Adoption Benefits Your employer may offer adoption assistance in various forms. Ask your Human Resources Department to determine if your company offers assistance. For more information about employer adoption benefits please visit contact the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption at , or the National Adoption Center at TO-ADOPT. Assistance for Military Families Please discuss the current adoption assistance information with your base personnel. You can also contact the Adoption Exchange Association at to receive their publication, You Can Adopt! A Guide for Military Families. Adoption Loans, Grants, and Resources Catholic Charities does not have experience with the following organizations. This information was gathered and compiled from the Internet: The Abba Fund P.O. Box 1120 Ramseur, NC A Child Waits Foundation 1136 Barker Rd. Pittsfield, MA A Child s Desire /2 Washington Natchitoches, LA Brittany's Hope Child Welfare Information Gateway Children's Bureau/ACYF 1250 Maryland Avenue SW, 8 th floor Washington, DC adoption/adoptive/funding.cfm China Care Foundation P.O. Box 607 Westport, CT Home for Good 697 E. Intervale Rd. Grants Pass, OR Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries 8625 N Whitehouse Drive Spokane, WA Life International P.O. Box 40 Gridley, IL Acres of Hope Adoption Assistance Four Corners Store rd. Mason, WI aoh.savinglives@gmail.com Airlines Discount Various airlines offer discounted airfares for families traveling to bring home their adopted child. Affording Adoption Gift of Adoption Fund P.O. Box Waukegan Road, 5th Floor Techny, IL God s Grace Adoption Ministry P.O. Box 4 Modesto CA National Adoption Foundation 36 Mill Plain Rd Danbury CT National Council For Adoption 225 N. Washington St. Alexandria, VA financing.htm * MBNA Bank has a program that offers lines of credit up to $25,000. 1/7/2013